The pandemic era left restauranteur Sava Farah believing she’d never open another business in downtown Ann Arbor.
“It’s a challenging place to do business,” says the former Albanian refugee, whose Pulpo Group includes Sava’s, Aventura, the Dixboro Project and, now, Orijin Bakery. “I’m glad we changed our tune with that, because Ann Arbor needs people like me to invest and … inject talent and design and style and character to this town.”
On E. Liberty, just around the corner from her namesake first restaurant, Orijin is itself a play on the name of partner Jin Gorian, hired three years ago as executive pastry chef at the Boro, a component of Dixboro Project. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, “she is a real rare talent and an outstanding leader, very very dedicated to her craft, and she’s built a real cult following there,” says Farah. “You know, you have somebody as talented as Jin, and I either open a bakery with her or she goes off and does it on her own.”
After exploring options for setting up shop in Dixboro, they ultimately purchased Molly’s Cupcakes downtown, securing a high-foot-traffic location and a head start on baking equipment.
The goods range from custom cakes and cookies to laminated pastries—sheets of dough and butter rolled, pressed, and formed into various croissants, cruffins, and danishes.
Her production space increasing sixfold with the move, Gorian is rolling out a full line of savory breads by the loaf and for use in sandwiches. “I don’t know of a place downtown that you can get a really good loaf of bread right now,” Farah says.
The European ambiance departs starkly from Molly’s schoolhouse vibe—stone, wood, antique furniture, and what Farah calls an unintentional “feminine flair” they noticed emerging over the course of the build-out.
Offering RoosRoast coffee and creative takes on tea and other drinks to linger over, Farah expects Orijin to attract repeat visitors and benefit from hands-on ownership.
“This is a splurge for most people, so if you’re going to make that type of investment financially and with calories, it better be great,” she says. “We really want people to disconnect and experience the product, experience the space, experience the company that they’re with, and just take a break from their laptops.”
Orijin Bakery, 617 E. Liberty. (734) 369–2002. Daily 8 a.m.–7 p.m. or until sold out. orijinbakery.com
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